Piston and piston-packing.



` PATENTBD 1350.17, 19o?.

M. H. SULLIVAN. PISTON 'AND PIs'mN PACKING. APP'LIOATI'ONYFLED JULY '2, 1906. RBNEWBD JUNE l8,1907.

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UNITED-.termas PATENT ornrcn.

MICHAEL H.- SULLIVAN,` or PoUGHKEE'PsIE, ,NEwYoRie PISTON AND PISTON-PACKIN G'.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented D'e'i'iv, isc?.

' Applicativo' led -luly 2.19061 Serial 11o` 324,330. -Renewed'J une'8. 1907. Seria1No..37 8.04.' *Y

To all whom itmafy concern; i

` 'State of VBe it known'thatl, MIcHAEL SULLIVAN, a citizen ofthe -United States, residing at Poughkeepsie, in the'county ofV Dutchess and ew York, have invented new and` 1\ useful Improvements in Pistons and Piston- Paclgings, of which the lfollowing-is a specification.

My int ention relates-"to improvements 'in y pistonsl andpiston packin s for use in the'- cylinders of steani'and ot er'engi'nes', and

also adapted for-use in pumps and similar. machines, and- 1t con'slsts 1n the construction7 combmation and arrangement ofdevices hereinafter 'described and claimed.

One object of my invention is to etl'ectP improrements in'the construction ofthe piston and of the steam rings and lt-o combine therewith tixed stops carried thepistOn and which 'coact with the overlapped ends of the steam rings to prevent the latter from turn- -ing on the piston and to also facilitate'the en.-

trance oi' the steam between the ends of lsuch rings to enable the steam pressure to diametrically'fexpand such rings and tit' them snugly in the cylinder with minimum friction thereon. d

A further object of my invention is to eiiect improvements in the construction of the .pis-

ton and tocombine therewith a' novel form of carrying ring and expanding ring which act tocenter the piston in the cylinder.

In the accompanying drawings,-Figure1 is a side elevation ofa piston provided with my improved packing devices, one' ofv the steam rings being vshown intransverse,l section; Fig. 2 is a similar view of the same with the steam rings indicated lin dotted, lines and the carrying and centering rings indicated in trans'i er'se section Fig. 3 is a transverse 4sectional. view, taken on the lane indicated by the linear-a of Fig'l g and) Fig. 4 isA a similar view, taken on the plane indicated bythe line b-b of Fig. 1.

The piston lhas its end portions 2 reduced in size diametricallyf as comparedwith the centra-lV portion 3. The said'reduced end portions of the piston are provided with an-' nular circumferential groen es 4', inthe outer side of each of which is va radial recess 5to remay be'einployed'to secure thestoppieces in .place and do not' limit myself in this particular.' -Each .stop piece' has a .portion 9 which projects artly across the-groove 4', land thel ends o which form shoulders 10. The central portion 3. of the piston is proof suitable depth andis provided with radial recesses 12, which communicate with said groove11. -In the s aidgroove -11 is placed4 a centering, ring 13, which is composed of separate segmental sections 14.01c any suitable nmnben three being here shown. The said segments of the centeringring are provided the outer -portions of the radial recesses 12.

springs, are also in the said recesses and bear betweenthe bottoms thereof and the ends of the said-studs and exert outwardradial tension on the segments of the centering.: ring, as will be understood. On the outer sidc oi the carrying ringl, the ends of which break joints with certain of the segments ol th'ecentering ring and are recessed in opposite sides so that they ovcrlap,as shown at 1S in Fig. 1. This carrying ring bears directly against the. walls of lthe cylinder and the tension and strength of the springs 16 aresuch as to cause saids rings to-hold, the piston concentric with're-'erencc to the cylinder under all conditions. y Y 4 Where' the piston i's in use in an upright engine, the springs 16'will .he all of the same strength, hut where the piston is in; use in a.

ency thereof to bear on .the lower side ot the 4. The saidV steam rings are open rings',`each havmgits ends recessed 1n one side and overlonger than the portions 2' 1 to provide recesses for the reception of the stop vpieces 6,

tions of the piston and present shoulders 22 with shoulders .23 tocoact with the shoulders 24 on the inner, laterally-projecting sides ol saidsto pieces, i

'It will) be understood that the stop pieces act to prevent the steam rings from turning horizontal or inclined engine, such springs 1G j l asv are on-the lower side thereof 'must be ol'- greater strengththan the upper. springs and .of s ullicient strength to support the weight of .the piston and overcome the gravitating tendlapped, as .at 20, 21,'the po'rtionsQU-being which proj ect vradially from the reduced porto coact with the end shoulders l0 of the stoppieces and to provide' the end portions 21 *videdwith anannularperlpheral groove 11 with inwardly-extending studs 15 which enter.

lSprings 16, here shown as coiled extensile centering ring and inthe groove 11 is an open,

Vioo

on the piston and that the shoulders thereof coact with the shoulders Jformed at the overlappedportions of the steam rings to admit steam in the spaces between said shoulders to canse said steam rings to be expanded.-

-The said steam rings are also provided in their outer sides with laterally-extending flanges-25, which overhang and are spaced from therednced portions oi the piston and enable the-steam'in the cylinder to act on said steam rings to expand the same and cause them to eiiectually pack the piston in the cylinder with minimum friction thereon.

The various parts of my `improved backing device may be oi any suitable material or materials and l do not desire to limit myself in this particular. Neither do desire to limit myself to the precise construction herein set forth, as it is evident that modifications may be made therein without departing fromthe spirit of my invention as defined by the appended claims. l

Having thus described my invention, what l claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters-lnatent, isfr l. in combination with a piston having al reduced portion, an annular circumferential groove in said reduced portion, and a recess at the bottom and one side oi said groove, a stop detachably secured in said recess and projecting into one side of the groove, and a steam ring in said' groove having a laterallyvextending flange and provided with recesses for thel reception of said stop.

evaso# tal guiding devices, springs to move vthe segments of said ring outwardly, and an expansible carrying ring on the segmental ring, substantially as described.

3. ln combination With a piston having an annular, circumferential groove and a stop in one side of saidgroove and'projectingradially Afrom said piston, a steam ring in said groove having its ends overlapped ,and re cessed for the rece tion of said stop, substantially as described? 4. A piston having anV annular, circumfer ential groove and radial recesses communieating Iwith Vthe bottom of said groove,.in combination with a segmental centering ring in the bottom of said groove and having studs extending into said recesses, `springs to normally move said segments oi salid centering,

ring outwardly, and an open carrying ring in said groove on said centering ring and having overlapped ends, substantially as described.

ln testimony whereof l have signed my name to this speciiication in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

MICHAEL H. SULlJlVAN Witnesses: f i

JAMES E. CARROLL, JOHN E. MACK. 

